Signal pistol



June 13, 1944. D. R. P. JACKSON SIGNAL PISTOL Filed Feb. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l SIGNAL PISTOL Fired Feb. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 13, 1944 SIGNAL PISTOL Donald Richard Patrick Jackson, Deptford, London, England, assignor to .Molins Machine Company, Limited, Deptford, London, England Application February 10, 1942, Serial No. 430,299 In Great Britain February 14, 194d Claims. (o1. 42+.4

This invention concerns an improved signal pistol of the kind adapted to discharge light signals, such as Very lights, and to be used with a tubular discharge port adapted for attachment to aircraft and other vehicles or structures, said pistol having a spring loaded movable element applied to its body for engagement with the breech end of a pivoted barrel to secure the latter in its closed position, and requiring hand operation to release the barrel from its closed position, and a catch device adapted to co-operate with the discharge port to lock and release the coupling between the pistol and the port. Such a signal pistol is referred to hereinafter as a signal pistol of the kind referred to.

According to the present invention there is provided a signal pistol of the kind referred to, wherein the spring loaded movable element comprises a pivoted member pivotally mounted on the breech block above the hammer and spring urged to hold the breech block closed, and adapted when the catch device is in the release position to swing about its pivot so that a surface of the pivoted member engages the top of the hammer to prevent cocking, or effective trigger operation, of the latter.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a signal pistol as set forth in the preceding paragraph comprising a safety catch (e. g. a spring loaded bolt) adapted to move upon the operation of the pivoted member when the latter swings to prevent cooking of the trigger and prevent the pivoted member from returning to its original position (e. g. by accident) until the safety catch is manually operated to release the pivoted member.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the pistol.

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 2 in the direction of arrow A.

Figure 4 is an end view of Figure 2 in the direction of arrow B.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the mounting or discharge port member.

Figure 6 is a section of Figure 5. V

Figure 7 shows details of a safety catch.

Figure 8 shows a fragment of Figure 3 illustrating a modified form of safety catch.

Figure 9 is an end elevation of Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings, the pistol comprises 'a barrel indicated generally by the reference I,

which is pivoted at 2 to the body of t e pistol,

indicated generally by the reference 3. The pivot for the barrel is arranged below the barrel at a position which is substantially midway along the length of the barrel. On the body there is provided'a shield 4 which is adapted to cover the breech of the pistol. I A substantially conical shaped aperture 5, Figure 2, is provided in the shield, the smaller end of the aperture being located on that side of the shield which faces the breech. The aperture provides a passage to permit the striker 6 of the pistol to engage the cartridge in the breech and so to fire the pistol.

A pivoted looking member or pawl l is pivoted to the body at a position 8 behind the shield and is adapted to lock the barrel relatively to the body with the breech covered by the shield so that the pistol, when loaded, is ready to be discharged. The member 1 is urged by a spring into the position shown in Figure 2 and side lugs 56 engage corresponding parts of the barrel and retain the latter. firmly in position against the shield 4.

The striker is pivoted to a hammer 9 which in turn is pivoted at l0 to the body of the pistol. The movement of the striker relatively to the hammer is quite small but is suificient to permit the striker to enter the aperture 5 inthe shield along a relatively straight line path instead of an arcuate path as would be the case if the striker and hammer were formed as one piece.

The body is also provided with a trigger guard II and a trigger 12, the latter being pivoted at l3 to the body. To the trigger there is pivoted at I4 a hammer operating member l5 which is located in a slot in the trigger and which is controlled by a compression spring l6. As the trigger is pulled, the operating member is moved through an arcuate path and engages a projection I! on the hammer. This engagement of the hammer by the operating member causes the hammer to be moved rearwardly about its pivot [0. Continued movement of the operating member moves the latter out of engagement with the hammer, thus releasing the latter which is then moved q i kly ab u i s pivot in the reverse direction by one leg of a double leaf spring l8, thus firing the pistol, assuming it is loaded. The leaf spring is looped about a pivot l9 located in the body of the pistol and one limb of the spring engages one tail 20 of two tails 20 and 21 formed on the hammer. The other limb of the spring engages a bar 2| pivoted at 22, and an end of which rests upon the trigger and this other limb returns the trigger when the latter is released.

Operation of the trigger to effect the discharge the reloading f the pistol (i. e. the parts are in the position shown in Figure 2).

A discharged cartridge is ejected from the pistol by an extractor 23 which is slidably'mounted' on the underside of the barrel; The extractor. has, at one end, a projectionifl arrangedtoengage the rim of a cartridge and is operated by releasing the barrel and rotating it about its pivot.

This rotation of the barrel causes that end of the extractor which is opposite to that at which the projection 24 is located to; be engaged by air abutment 25- on the body. The abutmentis. disposed just above the'pivot: for the-barrel, so that rotation' of the latter' about the? pivot to open the breech causes the extractor to slide towards the shield and: so to move the discharged cartridge fromthe breech.

Inthe barrel is 1 mounted a: spring. ring? 30 ha:-v ing projections 3 I to' gripthe cardboard cartridge tube as sometimes these are rather loose" and might fall out. when apistol pointing upward-lyisbeing loaded.

In order to mount the" pistol on: the; fuselage. of an: aircraft, the barrel of the. pistol is provided at aconve'nientfd-istance from the? muzzle of the 7 barrel, with four'radial; projectionst32. whicha re equispacedaround. the barrel. These projections are arranged to engage witha holder described below. On the upper part of' thep'ist'ol. there is provided a catch device comprising a bolt'33 which is arranged to slide relatively to the bar rel and which is centrally disposed between two of" the radialprojec'tions on the barrel; A spring 31 is provided to urge thebolt' towards the muzzle of the barrel'and' a serrated thumb-hold 51' is provided to enable a user to retract the bolt; This spring is arranged to surround a pin '35 whichprojects fron'rthe rear of the bolt through a projection 350 formed on the barrel, such projection being engaged by the pivoted locking member above referred to. When the bolt is moved away from the muzzle-of the-pistol against the action of the spring controlling the bolt.

the pin fixed tothe bolt is: adapted to. engagethe pivoted pawl. The operation of these'parts. will be described below.

The pistol is arranged. to be inserted .into a other part 31 is movablerelatively 'to the fixed part and means, such .as a plurality of rubber holder is to align the radial projections on the pistol barrel with the guide-grooves and then to. push the barrel lengthwise along the guide grooves as far as it will go when the radial pro-' jections are thereby brought into alignment with .15-

ftheannular groove. The pistol barrel is then moved angularly- (i e. turned) so'that the projections areimovedalong the annular groove and out of alignment with the guide-grooves. A stop pin M is provided to determine the extent of the angular movement. of the barrel. By reason of thisv movement the pistol barrel is. held by'the holder against any substantialz movement inv alengthwise direction. The' angular movement.- of the barrel is continueduntil a radial. projection engagesthe stop-pin-when the bolt onthe. pistolbarrel is urgedby its spring intooneofthe guidee grooves. 'Whenthebolt is in positionin one-:of

' the guide-grooves, the pistol-barrel -is* held against any further substantial angular movement. 7 By thismean-s the pistol is securely held by the holder.

W Toremove the pistol frornthe mounting the'bolt 33 is retracted by pressure onthe thumb-piece: 51 andthe barrelis turned-in. the opposite direction, whereupon: it may be drawn out of the mounting.

i It will be seen that'whenthe pistol isassembled V in the-mountingtwo of the grooves" 39' are cpen,-' thatis there is ap assagethrough them from the exterior ot the aeroplane. 'Io-prevent accidents by a.blow-back through these holes a ring v l-Z,

Figures-S and 6, is pressed in the part: 31; f

' holderor mounting comprising a discharge port Figures" 5 and 6, which is secured to the fuselage of the airc'ra'ftthe holder beingsuitably constructed to absorbthe recoil of the pistol when the latter is discharged. The. method. adopted to absorb. the shock of the recoil is. to constructthe holder in twoflparts', 36and'31',thefpart36 being rigidly secured to the fuselage while thei rings 38 are included between the fixed and mov able parts to absorbthe shock. due to the recoil.

'The movable part of the holder is prov-ided with a bore into which the pistol. barrel ismoved lengthwise. The movable part of; the holder-is also provided withfour guide-grooves 39' which are equally spaced" around the bore and which A cover-plate may be providedto closethe;

apertureFi-ns the mounting when the pistolisnot.

in position; a

It will. be seer-r. that: ifthe pistol is not'properly fitted in the mounting the bolt '33 will not enter the slot 39 and in consequence the-pin: 315 will press 'againstthe pivoted member "I and a tail 48 on the member will therefore project-into the.

path of the hammer so that the hammer is. pre-"= vented from moving rearward-1y sufficiently to allow the hammer to becocked, however hard the trigger may be pulled.

"When, however ,the pistol is ta-ken out of its.

. mounting for independent'usathe 'pivoted.mem-' her 1 can move back toits normal position as. soon as the thumb-piece. 51* isreleased and thus the pistol mightbe fired accidentally. To prevent this there isprovided a safety catch in dicated generallyby' 49 consisting of a small bolt .slidable in thebodyiand having a shoulder formed on it of larger diamet'ergthan the shank of the bolt; As shown in Figure 3,. the catch 7 is in the off position andthe trigger .may. be

. pulled to fire the pistol.

the: member 1 is moved back, by pressure onthe bolt 33 or direct application to the serrated head of the member; the catch-bolt. moveszto the left 7 (Figure 3) under pressure of" aspringandithe' pivoted member cannotreturn to. its normal, position,'wherethe trigger can be, cooked, until the left hand knob -of the catch-bolt is pressed.

When'th-is is. done, the pivoted; member springs in toits normal position as sooneasuthe' shoulder vhas"cleared the face ofrsaid member. In ordi-' As soon; however, as?

nary use, supposing the pistol to have been removed from the mounting for some reason, the pistol is loaded and the safety catch put in the on position by pulling back the member I (whereupon the bolt automatically springs to the on position) and then the muzzle of the barrel is inserted in the hole in the mounting and turned and the catch bolt shoots home, after which the safety catch is pressed in to bring it to the off position and the pistol is ready for use. If the pistol is already in the mounting it may be fired and then opened to eject the cartridge case by releasing the pivoted member and swinging the butt around the hinge pin and then reloaded and closed, all operations being performed while the pistol is still in the mounting.

The details of the catch are shown in Figure 7 where it will be seen that the bolt has a shoulder 5| on it and both parts are fiat at one side. The flat side which is thus made for the sake of clearance also lies against the surface of part of the shield t and prevents the bolt from rotation, which might unscrew the nut 54 shown in the view. This part may however be riveted on the bolt 50. A head 52 forms a retainer for the bolt which is fitted in the body of the pistol, a spring 53 is placed over the other end and a nut 54 is screwed on. The nut also forms a button which can be pressed to release the catch.

In Figures 8 and 9 a modified form of safety catch is shown. In this example the bolt 50 is cylindrical and provided with an integral head #54 corresponding to the nut 54 in the previous case. The pivoted member 'I is cut away as shown in Figure 8 to clear the shank of the bolt. Instead of the head 52 there is provided a cup Mp2 riveted t0 the shank of the bolt and a smaller cup E55 is also provided loose on the bolt and slidable in the cup I 52. Inside these cups is placed a compression spring (not shown) encircling the bolt. The part 4 is cut away as shown in Figure 8 to an arc corresponding in radius to the radius of the head I54. When the member 7 moves about its pivot in a clockwise direction Figure 8, the bolt can move to the left in Figure 9 as the head can then pass the arcuate clearance in the member 'I. The head is arrested by the bottom of the arcuate clearance in the part 4.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a breech-loading pistol of the type having a body, a barrel pivoted to the body, and a hammer on the body, the combination with a latch for retaining said barrel in firing position with respect to the body, said latch being yieldingly urged to barrel retaining position, of means displaceable with said latch on movement thereof from barrel retaining position for locking said CJI hammer against displacement to cocked position, v

and a manually releasable spring-pressed detent for locking said latch against unintentional displacement from hammer locking position.

2. A signal pistol comprising a pivotally mounted barrel, firing mechanism, a spring loaded movable element for locking the barrel in the closed position, means associated with said element and the firing mechanism to prevent effective operation of the firing mechanism on movement of the movable element, and a spring loaded safety catch adapted on movement of the said movable element to a position to prevent operation of the firing mechanism to spring into a position to prevent return of the said movable element to its original position.

3. A signal pistol comprising a pivotally mounted barrel, firing mechanism including a pivoted hammer, a spring loaded pivoted element for locking the barrel in the closed position, the said pivoted element having a surface so arranged and located as to engage the tip of the hammer to prevent effective operation of the firing mechanism, and a spring loaded safety catch adapted on movement of the said movable element to a position to prevent operation of the firing mechanism to spring into a position to prevent return of the said movable element to its original position.

4. A signal pistol comprising a pivotally mounted barrel, firing mechanism, a spring loaded movable element for locking the barrel in the closed position, means associated with said element and the firing mechanism to prevent effective operation of the firing mechanism on movement of the movable element, and a spring loaded safety catch comprising a bolt having an abutment which is adapted to engage the movable element when the latter is in a position to lock the barrel in the closed position, whereby the bolt is prevented from moving under its spring, said abutment being adapted to be clear of the movable element at other times to allow the bolt to spring forward, whereby on movement of said movable element the abutment moves into a position to prevent return of the said movable element to its original position.

5. A signal pistol comprising a pivotally mounted barrel, firing mechanism including a pivoted hammer, a spring loaded pivoted element for locking the barrel in the closed position, the said pivoted element having a surface so arranged and located as to engage the tip of the hammer to prevent effective operation of the firing mechanism, and a spring loaded safety catch comprising a bolt having an abutment which is shaped to engage the movable element when the latter is in a position to lock the barrel in the closed position whereby the bolt is prevented from moving under its spring, said abutment being adapted to be clear of the movable element at other times to allow the bolt to spring forward, whereby on movement of said movable element the abutment moves into a position to prevent return of the said movable element to its original position.

DONALD RICHARD PATRICK JACKSON. 

